Opening Round: Say Hello to My Lightweight Friend

Lovers of the classic film Scarface can undoubtedly recite lead character Tony Montana’s famous line in pitch-perfect form about wanting what’s coming to him – the world and everything in it. However, while he’s certainly a lot less outspoken than Al Pacino’s was in his famous role, in the case of the UFC’s “Scarface” – featherweight champion Jose Aldo – world domination may not actually be too far away from becoming a reality rather than simply a line in a beloved film.

This weekend the explosive Brazilian will face Kenny Florian, a former lightweight title-contender who has beaten some of the toughest opponents available, and will inch a step closer to cleaning his division out of legitimate contenders if he comes away with the victory.

If – dare I say when – that happens it will be time for Aldo to make a serious decision about moving up a division to accommodate his maturing frame and quench his thirst for becoming one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. Sure, Chad Mendes remains, as do Erik Koch and Dustin Poirier, but even so there’s a distinct possibility Aldo could run the table and be left looking at rematches or the occasional undeserving challenger.

Aldo at 155-pounds makes too much sense not to happen so long as he remains undefeated in the UFC. Cutting weight is getting harder for him as evident by a recent video of his preparation for UFC 129, and his skills are so exceptional he needs to be put in the Octagon against other stars rather than fighters only the most dedicated MMA fans are familiar with. Surely nobody believes Aldo vs. Mendes would draw as much interest from the general public as a fight pitting Aldo against Clay Guida or any other number of popular lightweights, do they?